Janice Levy

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL:

Grade 1-4 When Gonzalo the rooster wins the lottery, he leaves his job on the farm for the "good life." He buys a mansion in Miami and a yacht, where he gets seasick.Then he heads to Hollywood and becomes a party animal. As expected, he runs out of cash, but finds salvation in church. Soon he is the talk of the town because of his voice, but even then he is not satisfied. Gonzalo decides to return to the farm after a vivid dream calls him home. Once there he returns to crowing every morning though he continues to complain about everything. The illustrations are created with acrylics on gessoed paper and convey GONZALO'S COLORFUL AND HUMOROUS ANTICS. In one scene, he is lounging by the pool wearing sunglasses, attended by a butler refreshing his drink, a banker ushering in a four layer cake and a maid dusting the palm trees. The vibrant colors and stong lines pulse with Gonzalo's strong personality and oddball situations. KIDS WIll ENJOY THE ROOSTER'S ADVENTURES AND THE STORY COULD OPEN UP A CONVERSATION ABOUT SUDDENLY STRIKING IT RICH AND ABOUT THE VALUE OF HOME.
Spanish words pepper the text and are defined in a glossary at the story's end. - Linda M. Kenton, Pickleweed Public Library, San Rafael,California

BOOKLIST:

A rooster story joins the comic flock. When Gonzalo wins the lottery, he complains that rooster life is nothing to crow about and so hops a bus for the good life. He buys a mansion in Miami and a a yacht and joins the county club, but he gets seasick and then stuck in a putting green. Next he tries being a party animal in Hollywood but instead he just gets fat. Without money and friends, he goes to church and joins the choir, packing the aisles with singing. Wise words from Padre Juan send him home, where he takes over his old job and finally stops complaining - most of the time. Acrylic illustrations and gessoed paper animate the HUMOR WITH FINE-FEATHERED CLEVERNESS, adding wry details like the yacht's name, La Chicka Loca. A vocabulary list defines the six Spanish words mentioned throughout. THIS IS BEAK-IN-CHEEK FUN WITH AN UNDERLYING MESSAGE. - Julie Cummins
Grades k-2

KIRKUS REVIEW:

Slavin mixes human and animals indiscriminately in his thickly textured illustrations and, along with tucking visual jokes, ENDOWS THE IRRITABLE, SCRAGGLY-LOOKING GONZALO WITH PLENTY OF PERSONALITY.

HORN BOOK GUIDE, FALL 2009

After rooster Gonzalo wins the lottery, he quits farmwork. He tries living in a Miami mansion and then as a Hollywood party animal, but the good life disagrees with him. This story, peppered with Spanish words and phrases, has a halfhearted point to make about humility, but it's mainly AN AMUSEMENT, WITH NEARLY EVERY ACRYLIC-ON-GESSO PAGE A VISUAL PUNCH LINE.

CANADIAN REVIEW OF MATERIALS, 5/​29/​09

Excerpt: After Ganzolo won the lottery, he hopped of the roof and pecked don Chuco on the nose. "I'm rich!" He said. "Get another rooster. I quit!"

Having your wish granted is a common theme in literature. The modern day twist on this theme, the dream of winning the lottery and having the freedom to quit your job and do wahtever you want, will be familiar to most children, even preschoolers. Like King Midas discovered, however, sometimes things don't turn out the way you expected.
Janice Levy's tale takes Gonzalo through all of the steps of his familiar fairy tale. Our hero, Gonzalo the rooster, strikes it rich and leaves his humble environment on the farm for the big time in the city. He buys everything money can buy, lives the good life with his new friends, but doesn't find the happiness he his looking for.
When his money runs out, his new friends abandon him. Fortunately, Gonzalo meets a wise man and learns this interesting homily: When you can't find your car keys, they're usually in your pocket.
The back page includes a 'Vocabulario: Vocabulary' that translates the Spanish terms that are used in the story, for example, don: Mister (Mr.)
A FOUR STAR REVIEW ****. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

WRGN/​WHAT'S NEW ON THE BOOKSHELF, 3/​4/​09

Last on the shelf is a book entitled "Gonzalo Grabs the GOod LIfe." Janice Levy is the author and it is illustrated by Bill Slavin. Eerdmans Books for Young Readers is the publisher. After Gonzalo won the lottery, he hopped off the roof and pecked don Chucho on the nose. "I'm rich!" he said. "Get another rooster. I Quit!" "But Gonzalo," the farmer said, "Aren't you hapy here?" Gonzalo fluffed his feathers. "I don't like to complain, but the hens cluck all night, and the horse snores. The roof is so hard that my back hurts. I haven't slept in a week," With his new found fortune, this sassy rooster decides it's time to go out and find the good life. Gonzalo tries everything from lounging in mansions to singing solos in the church choir - but no matter where he goes or what new adventure he embarks on, Gonzalo does not find what he's looking for. What will make this rooster happy? Brought to life with whimsical, vibrant illustrations, this entertaining story will have readers laughing out loud.

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO ON-LINE EDITION, 12/​09

When Gonzalo the rooster wins the lottery, he quits his farm and heads off in search of the good life. He buys a mansion and even goes to Hollywood and becomes a party animal. But "ay caramba!" the misadventures he encounters are quite humorous as she shows how animals, as well as people, search for happiness. The illustraions are hilarious and perfect for those being read to as well as those doing the reading.
This book is recommended as a good gift for the holidays.

THE GRAND RAPIDS PRESS,5/​17/​09

This is a fun book that adds spice to kids' summer reading. There's a lesson to be learned in this book. It's funny enough to think of a rooster winning the lottery, but watching him spend his fortunes is an adventure in itself.
After his big win, Gonzalo quits his job on the farm in search of the "good life" --which, of course, includes a mansion, a yacht and a fancy hot tub. The hilarious story and cartoon art show there is much more to the good life than money.

CHILDREN'S LITERATURE, 2008

Gonzalo the rooster is thrilled when he wins the lottery. His new wealth means that he can leave Don Chucho's farm for the "good life." But despite his yacht and his mansion in Miami, Gonzalo is not happy. He tries living "la vida loa" in Hollywood, but he gets tired - "too tired to cock-a-doodle-doo" - and his feet hurt. When all his money is gone, Gonzalo goes to church. There, he is invited to sing in the choir, but he is still not happy. In a dream, Gonzalo hears the wind tell him to go home. Don Chucho is delighted to have the brid back at his crowing job. As for Gonzalo, "He even stopped complaining - most of the time." The artist creates vital characters with appealing and amusing personalities in fully detailed settings. Humor of details and stiuations are shown throughout, such as in the sunglasses Gonzalo wears as he lounges, the drink in his "hand" or his grimace of pain as he lounges with an ice bag on his head, soaking his feet. The Spanish words that add spice to the text are defined in a vocabulary section. This story is an amusing twist on the old theme "There's no place like home."